Cold Stream Farm Order
Feb. 17th, 2026 07:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmith posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
birdfeedingToday we made the Cold Stream Farm order. This is one of the few remaining nurseries with affordable prices, focusing mostly on native species of trees and bushes. Most have wildlife value. Some are good for permaculture.
( Read more... )
( Read more... )
Wildlife
Feb. 17th, 2026 03:42 pmysabetwordsmith posting in birdfeedingHuman noise is stressing birds worldwide - but we can help
Birds don’t just “put up with” our noise. A new analysis suggests that traffic, construction, and other human-made sounds are changing how birds behave, how stressed they get, and even how well they reproduce.
Some of these shifts look small on their own, but together they paint a picture of animals constantly adjusting to a louder world.
Anthropogenic noise is bad for many kinds of wildlife. It is also terrible for humans. There are things you can do about it.
( Read more... )
Birds don’t just “put up with” our noise. A new analysis suggests that traffic, construction, and other human-made sounds are changing how birds behave, how stressed they get, and even how well they reproduce.
Some of these shifts look small on their own, but together they paint a picture of animals constantly adjusting to a louder world.
Anthropogenic noise is bad for many kinds of wildlife. It is also terrible for humans. There are things you can do about it.
( Read more... )
Birds
Feb. 17th, 2026 04:16 pmribirdnerd posting in birdfeedingTuesday 2/17/26
A large flock of assorted blackbirds were around early this morning - Common Grackles, Cowbirds and Red winged Blackbirds made a big racket. A little while later a group of 7 Wild Turkeys battled the Blue Jays for peanuts.
There was a Northern Cardinal couple around too.
A large flock of assorted blackbirds were around early this morning - Common Grackles, Cowbirds and Red winged Blackbirds made a big racket. A little while later a group of 7 Wild Turkeys battled the Blue Jays for peanuts.
There was a Northern Cardinal couple around too.
Birdfeeding
Feb. 17th, 2026 02:54 pmysabetwordsmith posting in birdfeedingToday is cloudy and dim, chilly and damp.
I fed the birds. I've seen a flock of sparrows and a female cardinal.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 2/17/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 2/17/26 -- I raked the leaves off the rain garden. Underneath I found not just a lot more shoots, but the first tiny lavender buds of crocus! :D
EDIT 2/17/26 -- I trimmed off the dead stems from the 'Autumn Joy' sedum in the maple garden and purple-and-white garden, plus peonies in the purple-and-white garden. I still need to trim the sedum in the septic garden.
EDIT 2/17/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
I am done for the night.
I fed the birds. I've seen a flock of sparrows and a female cardinal.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 2/17/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 2/17/26 -- I raked the leaves off the rain garden. Underneath I found not just a lot more shoots, but the first tiny lavender buds of crocus! :D
EDIT 2/17/26 -- I trimmed off the dead stems from the 'Autumn Joy' sedum in the maple garden and purple-and-white garden, plus peonies in the purple-and-white garden. I still need to trim the sedum in the septic garden.
EDIT 2/17/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
I am done for the night.
Photos: House Yard and South Lot
Feb. 16th, 2026 11:10 pmysabetwordsmith posting in birdfeedingToday I took some pictures around the yard. These are from the house yard and the south lot. (See the Savanna and Prairie Garden.)
( Walk with me ... )
( Walk with me ... )
Birds
Feb. 16th, 2026 07:57 pmribirdnerd posting in birdfeedingMonday 2/16/26
A mild day today, I think it got up to around 40. We still have a lot of snow on the ground and a lot of birds. We had a group of 4 Wild Turkeys and we have been 4-8 Deer at a time. The deer are raiding the birds feeders and destroyed some arborvitae I had planted as a living fence.
Blue Jays, House Sparrows, Downy Woodpecker, and House Sparrows were all around today.
A mild day today, I think it got up to around 40. We still have a lot of snow on the ground and a lot of birds. We had a group of 4 Wild Turkeys and we have been 4-8 Deer at a time. The deer are raiding the birds feeders and destroyed some arborvitae I had planted as a living fence.
Blue Jays, House Sparrows, Downy Woodpecker, and House Sparrows were all around today.
Birdfeeding
Feb. 16th, 2026 01:56 pmysabetwordsmith posting in birdfeedingToday is partly sunny and cool.
I fed the birds. I've seen a flock of sparrows, a starling, a male cardinal, a male house finch, and a fox squirrel. There are probably other house finches mixed in with the sparrows. The fox squirrel was eating from the hopper feeder at first, then went up the tree to forage among the branches -- I think it was eating the buds off the twigs.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 2/16/26 -- I took some pictures around the yard.
EDIT 2/16/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 2/16/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
I put out a fresh cake of peanut suet and a corncob.
EDIT 2/16/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
I am done for the night.
I fed the birds. I've seen a flock of sparrows, a starling, a male cardinal, a male house finch, and a fox squirrel. There are probably other house finches mixed in with the sparrows. The fox squirrel was eating from the hopper feeder at first, then went up the tree to forage among the branches -- I think it was eating the buds off the twigs.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 2/16/26 -- I took some pictures around the yard.
EDIT 2/16/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 2/16/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
I put out a fresh cake of peanut suet and a corncob.
EDIT 2/16/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
I am done for the night.
The Fantastic Journey: Unavoidable Damage [Challenge 489: Damage]
Feb. 16th, 2026 05:06 pmbadly_knitted posting in drabble_zoneTitle: Unavoidable Damage
Fandom: The Fantastic Journey
Author:
badly_knittedCharacters: Scott, Fred, Varian.
Rating: PG
Written For: Challenge 489: Damage.
Setting: After the series.
Summary: It isn’t always possible to avoid causing damage.
Disclaimer: I don’t own The Fantastic Journey, or the characters. They belong to their creators.
A/N: Triple drabble.
Unavoidable Damage
#183 - Stoic
Feb. 16th, 2026 03:35 ammxcatmoon posting in vocab_drabblesThis week's word is
Stoic
[ˈstōik]
noun
A person who can endure pain or hardship without showing their feelings or complaining.
A member of the ancient philosophical school of Stoicism.
adjective
Another term for stoical.
"A look of stoic resignation."
Stoic
[ˈstōik]
noun
A person who can endure pain or hardship without showing their feelings or complaining.
A member of the ancient philosophical school of Stoicism.
adjective
Another term for stoical.
"A look of stoic resignation."
February: Unique/Rare Words
Feb. 15th, 2026 08:52 pmprisca posting in sweetandshortWelcome to our challenge Unique/Rare Words .
In February, the word is:
petrichore
the fresh smell of the air after a rainstorm
Feel free to interpret the prompt as you want. You don't have to use the word itself in your work.
Allowed are fics up to 500 words, small poems such as haiku or tanka, icons (100 x 100px), and graphics (maximum 500 x 500px).
All fandoms, genres, and ratings are welcome. Original works and real-person works are fine, too.
Please tag your work with all relevant tags.
This challenge runs until February 28, midnight in your timezone.
:::
Challenge Reminder:
10 out of 20
In February, the word is:
petrichore
the fresh smell of the air after a rainstorm
Feel free to interpret the prompt as you want. You don't have to use the word itself in your work.
Allowed are fics up to 500 words, small poems such as haiku or tanka, icons (100 x 100px), and graphics (maximum 500 x 500px).
All fandoms, genres, and ratings are welcome. Original works and real-person works are fine, too.
Please tag your work with all relevant tags.
This challenge runs until February 28, midnight in your timezone.
:::
Challenge Reminder:
10 out of 20
Birdfeeding
Feb. 15th, 2026 01:36 pmysabetwordsmith posting in birdfeedingToday is partly sunny and cool.
I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 2/15/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
I refilled the hopper feeder. I've seen a sparrow.
I also saw a honeybee in the forest garden! I went to the bee tree and saw a honeybee fly into it. This is waaayyy too early for bees. There is liquid water, but absolutely nothing to eat. :( Use to be, the bees only appeared after the last frost. It's months too soon for that.
EDIT 2/15/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 2/15/26 -- I spread a bucket of mulch under the golden rain tree.
I am done for the night.
I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 2/15/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
I refilled the hopper feeder. I've seen a sparrow.
I also saw a honeybee in the forest garden! I went to the bee tree and saw a honeybee fly into it. This is waaayyy too early for bees. There is liquid water, but absolutely nothing to eat. :( Use to be, the bees only appeared after the last frost. It's months too soon for that.
EDIT 2/15/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 2/15/26 -- I spread a bucket of mulch under the golden rain tree.
I am done for the night.
FAKE: Innocent Victims [Challenge 489: Damage]
Feb. 15th, 2026 05:53 pmbadly_knitted posting in drabble_zoneTitle: Innocent Victims
Fandom: FAKE
Author:
badly_knittedCharacters: Dee, Ryo, OMC.
Rating: PG
Written For: Challenge 489: Damage.
Setting: After the manga.
Summary: Dee and Ryo stand accused of police brutality.
Disclaimer: I don’t own FAKE, or the characters. They belong to the wonderful Sanami Matoh.
A/N: Double drabble.
Innocent Victims
penaltywaltz posting in wipbigbangMy apologies for not posting this on the 14th; I didn't get on my laptop until just now so it went up late. But posting for the WIP Big Bang International Fanworks Day Mini Bang 2026 starts today (February 15th)! Posting goes from today until March 1st, and while it is primarily for fic under 7500 words, but if you didn't finish art for the 2025 WIP Big Bang or fic for the 2025 WIP Reverse Bang (regardless of length) you can also post it during this time.
There's no scheduled posting days; whenever you finish, feel free to post the bragging rights on Tumblr or Dreamwidth with this specific form for your fanworks. It allows you bragging rights for finishing your fic/art, and also links to the location of your fic (it should be up somewhere like AO3/FF.net/your personal Tumblr under a tag/any other fic or journal community) in its completion*. We also have an AO3 collection for this round where you can post the AO3 postings of your fic and art to.
These are the bragging rights form for the 2026 WIP Big Bang International Fanworks Day Mini Bang (don't worry about tagging posts on your Dreamwidth post if you post here; we will use a system we've determined):
Project Title:
Fandom:
Link:
Summary:
Warnings:
Characters:
Pairings:
When I Started:**
How I Lost My Shit:**
How I Finished My Shit:**
And here are easy to copy formats with HTML formating:
(You will have to delete the <*br> tags by hand and add breaks, unfortunately, Dreamwidth does not like the textboxes...)
Feel free to celebrate finishing your works, and don't be modest! Shout it to the world! We all come from so many fandoms, but we all came together to finish our shit, and that's something to shed a proud tear over.
*If for some reason, you can't post this yourself, you can always email this information to the mods, and we'll post it for you. You can also post via proxy, just let us know that you will be doing so.
** These are optional but encouraged
There's no scheduled posting days; whenever you finish, feel free to post the bragging rights on Tumblr or Dreamwidth with this specific form for your fanworks. It allows you bragging rights for finishing your fic/art, and also links to the location of your fic (it should be up somewhere like AO3/FF.net/your personal Tumblr under a tag/any other fic or journal community) in its completion*. We also have an AO3 collection for this round where you can post the AO3 postings of your fic and art to.
These are the bragging rights form for the 2026 WIP Big Bang International Fanworks Day Mini Bang (don't worry about tagging posts on your Dreamwidth post if you post here; we will use a system we've determined):
Project Title:
Fandom:
Link:
Summary:
Warnings:
Characters:
Pairings:
When I Started:**
How I Lost My Shit:**
How I Finished My Shit:**
And here are easy to copy formats with HTML formating:
(You will have to delete the <*br> tags by hand and add breaks, unfortunately, Dreamwidth does not like the textboxes...)
Feel free to celebrate finishing your works, and don't be modest! Shout it to the world! We all come from so many fandoms, but we all came together to finish our shit, and that's something to shed a proud tear over.
*If for some reason, you can't post this yourself, you can always email this information to the mods, and we'll post it for you. You can also post via proxy, just let us know that you will be doing so.
** These are optional but encouraged
Pinetree Garden Seeds Order
Feb. 14th, 2026 02:18 pmysabetwordsmith posting in birdfeedingYesterday I picked out what I wanted from Pinetree Garden Seeds. Some of these, like the sunflower and the scarlet sage, are directly for birds. Others such as the feverfew and milkweed are for insect pollinators, some of whom will leave edible larvae for birds to hunt.
( Read more... )
( Read more... )
Birdfeeding
Feb. 14th, 2026 01:52 pmysabetwordsmith posting in birdfeedingToday is cloudy and chilly.
I fed the birds. I've seen a small flock of sparrows. I heard a cardinal singing but didn't see it.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 2/14/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
I put out more birdseed and a fresh cake of peanut suet.
EDIT 2/14/26 -- I spread a bucket of mulch around the apricot tree.
EDIT 2/14/26 -- It's been drizzling here, just enough to wet things, not enough to leave puddles anywhere I've seen.
EDIT 2/14/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
It is now raining enough to leave a few tiny puddles on the patio.
I am done for the night.
I fed the birds. I've seen a small flock of sparrows. I heard a cardinal singing but didn't see it.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 2/14/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
I put out more birdseed and a fresh cake of peanut suet.
EDIT 2/14/26 -- I spread a bucket of mulch around the apricot tree.
EDIT 2/14/26 -- It's been drizzling here, just enough to wet things, not enough to leave puddles anywhere I've seen.
EDIT 2/14/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
It is now raining enough to leave a few tiny puddles on the patio.
I am done for the night.
Roses are red, violets are blue
Feb. 14th, 2026 02:54 pmauthor_by_night posting in fan_writers Good morning, afternoon, whatever time it is for you when you find this post!
In honor of Valentine's Day, I thought we might talk about writing relationships. A few questions:
I've provided my own answers in the comments.
In honor of Valentine's Day, I thought we might talk about writing relationships. A few questions:
- Is there anything you find challenging about writing relationships?
- What do you love about writing relationships?
- Have you ever tried writing for a ship (or even just a trope) you normally don't? What was the outcome?*
- Favorite tropes/tags/themes to write?
- Any other observations?
I've provided my own answers in the comments.